King hands in colours to new army unit

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF), on Tuesday handed in the Supreme Commander’s Colours to the Prince Muhammad Mechanised Battalion/9, affiliated with the Hashemite Mechanised Brigade/51, which was established in 1949.

The ceremony, which is part of a process that started in September 2015, is a show of appreciation for the bravery and sacrifices offered by members of JAF units and for their efforts in defending the country and its citizens, according to a Royal Court statement.

It is also part of continued efforts by King Abdullah to recognise the various units of the army.

Arriving at the ceremony site, the King was received with an official welcome at the Royal Court’s Flag Square, attended by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Freihat and top brass, which included a 21-gun salute by the artillery.

The ceremony started with the army band playing the Royal Anthem, before the commander of the parade queue asked for His Majesty’s permission to replace the old battalion flag with the Supreme Commander’s Colours and the new banner of the battalion.

Banner carriers, then, queued in preparation for receiving the Supreme Commander’s flag, as His Majesty marched by the parade queue. 

Battalion commander Lt. Col. Abdullah Freihat delivered a speech in which he expressed the unit’s pride in receiving His Majesty’s colours.

The battalion is the seventh JAF unit to receive the Supreme Commander’s banner. 

The base colour of the Supreme Commander’s Flag is maroon and in the centre lies an image of the Royal Crown lifted on two ears of wheat. The emblem of the honoured unit appears in the upper corner of the banner, close to the flagpole.

Several Royal family members, high-ranking officers and officials attended the ceremony.